Acura’s First Electric Vehicle Hitting the Road With a Special Guest

On March 27, 1986, Honda  (HMC) - Get Free Report launched its luxury brand, the Acura.

Introduced under the slogan, "Acura. Precision Crafted Automobiles," the brand was among the best-selling luxury marques in the U.S, outselling established names such as BMW  (BMWYY)  and Mercedes-Benz  (DDAIF) .

DON'T MISS: Stellantis Makes a Major Move With EVs to Challenge Tesla

The Acura name was derived from the Latin “acu,” meaning mechanically precise or done with precision.

Sales were down in the mid-to-late 1990s, but Acura had a comeback in the early 2000s, boosted by some serious redesigns and the introduction of new models.

'Less Scrolling. More Performance'

And now the brand is entering a new phase with the Acura ZDX, its first electric vehicle, which is slated to be released next year.

Acura ZDX, which is being co-developed with General Motors  (GM) - Get Free Report, will use the Ultium battery platform.  

The car will come with Google built-in as standard with the latest apps and services including Google Assistant, Google Maps and more on Google Play, the automaker said on June 6.

"Less scrolling. More performance," the automaker tweeted.

An enhanced version of Google Maps for EV customers will offer drivers optimized route planning for recharging, and finding charging stations along the way to cut down on travel time.

Google Maps will be able to tell the car to start preconditioning the battery for the fastest possible charge times when going to a DC fast charger.

Drivers can control their media by asking Google Assistant to skip to the next track or rewind a podcast using the driver's favorite media apps. 

Over-the-Air Updates

Google Assistant will permit uses to call or text a friend, set reminders, change the temperature in the car or navigate to their next destination using just their voice—while keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road.

Google Play enables users to download various 3rd-party apps for music, podcasts, audiobooks, and more, just like they would on their smartphone.

There’s also other funky tech stuff like digital driver instrumentation display, a large center touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and Acura's first pocket type wireless smartphone charger.

Android Auto mirrors the features of an Android device, such as a smartphone, on a car's dashboard information and entertainment head unit. 

And Acura ZDX will benefit from Over the Air (OTA) software updates

“As Acura moves rapidly toward the electrified and digital future we're pleased to offer customers a choice of technology partners by combining embedded Google apps and services with our in-vehicle connectivity to advance the fun and productive ownership experience," Raj Manakkal, Assistant Vice President, Digital Services Development for American Honda Motor Co., said in a statement.